A motivational speaker who emails me is strongly recommending this particular get rich quick plan. He says that through it the money has been rolling in like never before, to the tune of over $10K a week. He has been persistantly suggesting that I join soon as he is getting feedback from many of his followers who are apparently being richly rewarded. Any expert opinions on this would be appreciated.

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)

The Internet filters prevent me from looking at this site; but based on the similarity of its come-on to those of many known scammers, I wouldn't give this guy a cent.

"We've been attacked by the intelligent, educated segment of the culture." -- Pastor Ray Mummert, Dover, PA, during an attempt to introduce creationism -- er, "intelligent design", into the Dover Public Schools

Thats someones splash page, not the actual website. So if you sign up on it youll end up on someones list to contact about the real info. It might redirect you to the main page so you can see more, but thats up to you. Not familiar with the technique so I cant tell you what it is without actually signing up but its kind of looking like a gifting scheme by its language.

Lift me up above this, the flames and the ashes,
Lift me up and help me to fly away.
Lift me up above this, the broken, the empty,
Lift me up and help me to fly away,
Lift me up!

Other marks sign in in your matrix and pay the same amount you pay, part of which pays you. Then they get a matrix with you still in it. And so on and so on. Its a pay peter to pay paul to pay paul to pay paul to pay paul type of deal.

Lift me up above this, the flames and the ashes,
Lift me up and help me to fly away.
Lift me up above this, the broken, the empty,
Lift me up and help me to fly away,
Lift me up!

Any pyramid or matrix based system is going to be that way simply by the nature of the system. No matter where you fall in line if your not at the top of the pyramid, your not going to make what they do. Some people do well in them and make very good livings, most people make nothing. A cash gifting matrix is different in that it has no legal reason to be whatsover. An MLM can exist if its selling a product or services, a cash gifting scheme is just that, a scheme and has no value whatsover other then cash. They are illegal and are the very definition of a pyramid scam.

Take a look through the Connecting Us All thread in MLM forum to see what they do.

Lift me up above this, the flames and the ashes,
Lift me up and help me to fly away.
Lift me up above this, the broken, the empty,
Lift me up and help me to fly away,
Lift me up!

ProfHH, that's Dr. Wayne Pickering to you. He claims to be a naturopath on his web site - that's the "N.D." he puts after his name, along with an alleged Masters of Science. Now, he doesn't say where he got these "degrees", meaning it's likely the Millman College of Roots and Snoots. In any event, Florida is sane enough not to license "naturopaths", so he later has to admit that he is really a "Licensed Nutritional Counselor".

How do you report these scams? What is the liklihood that the relevant agency will do anything unless it gets scores of dedicated complaints? How does law enforcement usually play out in cases like this?

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)

The federal agencies with primary jurisdiction are the FTC and the SEC, but it is quite unlikely that either would get involved with a garden-variety ripoff like this. Frequently state AGs are more effective anyway. So I would start by trying to figure out where these scammers are.

They registered the domain through GoDaddy, but it's no surprise that a GoDaddy whois comes back to Domains By Proxy, an anonymous scammer's best friend. Next try a traceroute: thePlanet.com, an anonymous scammer's second best friend. Just the facts that the people behind this hide their identities is enough to make anyone with a few functioning brain cells avoid them. They do this for a reason: to whom do you complain that will care?

One other thing about "Dr." Pickering, who claims to be a "Licensed Nutritional Consultant": here is the Florida Department of Health license verification site. Try searching on "Wayne Pickering". You get the same thing you'd get back if you gave him your money. If you are dealing with him, you might try the Florida Department of Health unlicensed activity enforcement.

"Business consultants and financial planners often get asked this question more than any other, "How can I REALLY make it in today's competitive business climate?"

"Well, statistically, the odds are stacked against you. Take any group of 100 people, and by age 65 only ONE of that group will retire wealthy, and only FOUR of that same group will be able to meet their daily needs without some help from the government or someone else. Not very encouraging is it? Particularly if you are already in your forties, or older.

"Many such professionals counsel people to focus on personal AND financial independence - both are imperative.

"A neighbor of Pat, one of my associates, is a senior executive of a large multi-national firm. He gets a big salary and expense account, has a nice house, great car and terrific family. Only problem is, he's never around to enjoy it. He leaves at 6:00 am every morning for his daily commute, and he rarely is home before 9:00 or 10:00 in the evening. He always brings work home with him, and most of the time he looks like he's ready to blow a gasket. Yet because of his salary, car, house, etc., he looks like he's one of the guys who have "made it." Well, he hasn't, at least, not in my book.

"Contrast that to Pat’s lifestyle: Financially, they're probably pretty even, maybe a slight edge to Pat (Mike let some of his "not so hot" investments slip at a Christmas party last year.) Pat drives a new luxury SUV, their houses are comparable, and Pat has a great family. Here's the difference. Pat works for no one. He spends about 15 - 20 hours a week to feed his lifestyle, and they are the hours that he chooses. His home office is his only base of operations, so he never commutes. Pat cross-country skis 5 days a week in the winter, and he plays golf 4 days a week in the summer. He takes his wife and grandkids to the beach, hockey games, and a variety of other activities that we love whenever he wants. Pat attends all their school functions and has tons of time for just his wife and family.

"Here's the key. I can teach ANYONE to get the same results. But most people are so "boxed in" to the vision that the only way to be a success is to be like Pat’s neighbor, that they just simply aren't OPEN to a more effective way to freedom. Let me suggest this to you. If you are truly open to learning about an activity that can get you this kind of lifestyle, regardless of your background, past history, education or work experience, then we need to talk. And you can do this without pushing overpriced products on people, without beating up your friends and family, and you definitely won't have to do any selling.

********************************************************
The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.
-- Vance Havner
********************************************************

"Sound like it's worth investigating? You bet it is. Here's all you do. Simply reply to this e-mail with your phone number (including your area code) and the best time to reach you (I promise your personal information will NOT be shared with anyone - your privacy is absolutely assured.) I'd be happy to give you a call at my expense to see if there is a fit for you here. This is a private activity that is available by INVITATION ONLY, so please respond at your earliest convenience. If you are really serious about "Making It," you'll never get a better opportunity, and you can start from where you are now.

"P.S. - If you need a little "refresher" on this amazing program, go back to www.richlifequick.net and enter the password "success" (no quotes). Make SURE you watch and listen to EVERYTHING on that site, particularly steps 3, 4 and 5. You'll be glad you did."

Pretty shameless, maybe not as serious as the "squaliform" types that the Judge covers, but insidious because "Dr." Pickering has the appearances of a well-meaning person.

I did report him. Maybe down the road he will start getting that sinking feeling as an investigation heats up. Legal defense can be quite expensive.

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)

I received a response from the Florida attorney general. I post it here as it may be helpful for others:

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi received your email regarding your
concerns with a wealth building scheme from Wayne Pickering. Attorney
General Bondi asked I respond.

I understand how important this issue is to you, and I appreciate the
opportunity to review your concerns. Our office reviews complaints to
develop information about patterns of questionable business activities.
If we discover a pattern it may become a matter of broad public interest
and thus warrant the Attorney General's intervention under the state's
consumer protection laws.

I encourage you to review the following consumer warnings about multilevel
marketing and wealth building scams:

If you are attempting to resolve an individual complaint, please contact
the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of
Consumer Services (DACS). DACS serves as the clearinghouse for consumer
complaints and has a voluntary mediation program to assist individual
consumers. You may contact DACS at:

Another helpful resource is the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is
a combined effort of the National White Collar Crime Center and the FBI to
combat Internet fraud. For more information about Internet transactions
and scams, or to file a complaint, please visit the following website:

And, I am so glad that "Dr." Pickering, aka, "Mango Man" hasn't given up on me either. Many of his associates are making oodles of easy money:

"A little while back you visited one of our websites and indicated you were interested in generating some ca$h from home. We contacted you via e-mail, but we haven't heard back from you yet.

"Probably because you think this is another one of those "get rich quick" things that never works for anybody. Why bother? You'll just be disappointed anyway.

"WRONG! I wouldn't continue to e-mail you if this weren’t important. Why? Because a lot of people who were getting these e-mails finally decided to at least take a look - no cost, right? Today, they are generating more ca$h than they ever thought possible.

"Listen to what Pat, one of my associates, has to say about this: “I'm financially free, I receive lots of ca$h every week, and I spend most of my time doing the stuff I want to. I have no boss, no employees, I punch no clock, and I literally answer to no one (except my wife.) I schedule my work around my play. And isn't that a neat concept?”

"Is this sounding a little too good to be true? You know what you've heard about that one - if it SOUNDS too good to be true, it probably is. Allow me to let you in on a little secret that every wealthy person knows. The moment you allow this type of thinking to creep into your mind, you limit yourself to mediocre opportunities for the rest of your life. Now think about that for a moment.

"I don't know if our program will produce the same results for you as it has for others, because I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you yet, so I don't know anything about you. But I AM absolutely certain of this. If you are open to exploring an activity that can get some ca$h rolling in to your household in a matter of days or weeks, without approaching your friends and family, without hyping overpriced products, with absolutely no selling or convincing, and in an environment where everyone is dedicated to helping everyone else achieve their goals, then we definitely need to speak.

***************************************************
When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
-- Chinese Proverb
***************************************************

"To learn a little more about this remarkable activity, simply reply to this e-mail with your telephone number (including your area code) and the best time to reach you (I promise your personal information will NOT be shared with anyone - your privacy is absolutely assured). I'll be happy to schedule an initial appointment to speak with you at my expense. This is a private activity that is available by INVITATION ONLY, so please respond at your earliest convenience. Remember, if you continue to do what you have been doing, you'll just keep getting more of what you have been getting. If you want to start receiving better stuff in your life, then you need to do something different. Talk to us, - you'll be glad you did.

Now it's "you deserve plenty" and the money is sure to roll in, in the thousands within days if you just follow the directions:

"For the past three weeks, my phone has been ringing nonstop with people asking me all kinds of questions about our easy to do Cash-FLOW program. Today it seems that everyone needs to make more money.

"Here are the answers to the top 5 questions I have been receiving.

"1. Q. How Soon Can I Start Making Money With Your Program? I Need Money NOW!

"A. Our proven Blueprint is designed to start helping you to CASH-FLOW FAST. The actual speed at which you receive money is based solely on you and how quickly you act on the information provide. If you follow our step-by-step directions you can:
Receive Your First $3,500, In Just 48 Hours.

By the way, there is . . .

No MLM

No Cold Calling

No Selling

No Explaining

No Convincing

You have to see this!
It’s like nothing you have ever seen!

2. Q. Can a Newbie be Successful in Today’s Market?

A. Our on-line system is designed in such a way that a newbie can totally take advantage of today’s market. Once you know how to do what we do, it is very simple to do and it works GREAT! It doesn't require a good credit score and no special experience is needed to get started and more importantly I will show you step-by-step what to do.

3. Q. Do I need to have a special license to do this?

A. You absolutely DO NOT need any kind of license to receive a BIG CASH FLOW FAST, I’m talking in days.

4. Q. I have a full-time job. Can I do this part-time?

A. Absolutely! Over three-quarters of people start on a part-time basis (all it takes is 5 to 10 hours per week, you pick the time) with the hope of making enough money to replace their full time job. Fortunately that will not take long if you follow our proven blueprint.

5 = Q. I am ready to learn more about your program, but I'm not sure what to do first?

A. That’s the easy part. You will just follow our paint by number steps in our proven blueprint. It is designed in easy bite size pieces, these are short videos that ANYONE can understand and can do!

Other questions: Is this a pyramid scheme where the newbies get relatively little, while those on the top get the lion's share?
How exactly does it work, and what are your guarantees that it's legal, ethical, and no one is really getting ripped off? Has this or other similar schemes been investigated and/or sanctioned by federal or state authorities?

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)

"Dr." Pickering still sending out solicitations on this, frankly I'm surprised the authorities haven't even given him a warning apparently, but it looks like he needed to reassure those on his email list who smelled something fishy:

"Actually I have had many people invite me to title it “Saves the World”. I feel that is overly ambitious, so North America is good for now.

"I have received loads of calls and emails as to why am I’m doing (it) when I’m so niched in the wellness industry for so many years and it’s very simple!

"My mission is to save North America with these 7 components and we have developed websites on each of them

"So why am I doing (it) because it is generating some very serious cash flow in a very short period of time to assist with our objective of Saving North America.

"And one of my real concerns is that people tell me they don’t have the money for all the organic food I encourage them to consume.

"Or they work at a job they hate while stuck in traffic for hours on end, hence they don’t get the fitness they need, so that is the main reason for me encouraging so many people to look at (it) with an open mind to help generate the capital they need and want.

"Swap about 30-40 minutes for a lifetime of positive cash flow.

"We average about $7,000.00 per month and have been doing that since the 1st month working the activity only 2 hours a day 3-4 days a week. And YOU CAN TOO!

"I’ve never been happier to recommend a program in my 35 years in business outside of my own business. I have to tell you that this program has set many folks very free of financial worry.

"I have too much at stake to take on something that would be suspect.

However first let me say this is . . .

NOT MLM

and there is . . .

No Cold Calling

No Selling

No Explaining

No Convincing

A pack of lies??

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)

He may very well be not doing enough to get someone motivated to chase him down.

However first let me say this is . . .

NOT MLM

and there is . . .

No Cold Calling

No Selling

No Explaining

No Convincing

A pack of lies??

Yup, in a sense. No, its not a MLM, its a pyramid scam. There's really no selling, no convincing or explaining since most people seeing it would snort coffee through their nose in derision. The few that would fall for it would probably fall for anything. And you could really say there's no selling since there is no product to sell, just giving up money and hoping you find other people stupid enough to give up theirs also. The only way to make money in a cash gifting "program" is to continually recruit more people to give up money, there is no product to sell nor are there any other incentives, just cash. Any cash gifting scheme is the epitome of a pyramid for that very reason. With Amway, Visalus, Metuluca or most other MLMs there is a tangible product. There is none in a cash scheme.

Lift me up above this, the flames and the ashes,
Lift me up and help me to fly away.
Lift me up above this, the broken, the empty,
Lift me up and help me to fly away,
Lift me up!

Eventually these scams and schemes catch up with those who are perpetrating them. Who turned this fitness guru on to this? He has an interesting story of his recovery from health problems, etc.. I would never bite with such a transparent fraud, but clearly many have. I just hope when the game of musical chairs stops, he doesn't get beaten to a bloody pulp by those he has ripped off.

'There are two kinds of injustice: the first is found in those who do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from injury when they can.' (Roman. Cicero, De Off. I. vii)